Glances vs Hertzbeat
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted monitoring & status options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Glances
Cross-platform system monitoring at a glance
VS
Hertzbeat
Real-time monitoring system with customizable templates
| Feature | Glances | Hertzbeat |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 98 · Excellent | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | LGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 33,666 | ★ 7,405 |
| First released | 2012 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Datadog | Zabbix, Datadog |
What are Glances and Hertzbeat?
Glances
Glances is a cross-platform system monitoring tool that presents a wide range of host metrics in a terminal or web view. It targets administrators wanting a quick overview of a single machine. It is deployed via Docker, pip, or packages.
- Terminal and web monitoring views
- Wide range of metrics
- REST API and exporters
- Cross-platform support
Hertzbeat
HertzBeat is an open-source real-time monitoring system that checks websites, APIs, databases, servers, and more using customizable YAML templates. It includes alerting and a friendly dashboard with no agents required.
- Agentless monitoring
- Customizable YAML templates
- Threshold alerting
- Built-in dashboards
Glances vs Hertzbeat: key differences
Glances is written in Python, while Hertzbeat is built with Java. Licensing differs — LGPL-3.0 for Glances versus Apache-2.0 for Hertzbeat. Glances is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Hertzbeat. Glances is the more established project (first released 2012), while Hertzbeat arrived in 2022. Glances has the considerably larger community, at 33,666 GitHub stars versus 7,405.
Why pick each one
Choose Glances if…
- Very easy to run
- Lightweight
- Good single-host overview
Watch out for
- Best for one host at a time
- Limited history
Choose Hertzbeat if…
- No agents to deploy
- Flexible templates
Watch out for
- JVM resource needs
- Newer project
Frequently asked questions
Is Glances or Hertzbeat better?
Glances is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Hertzbeat if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Glances and Hertzbeat free and open-source?
Yes. Glances is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and Hertzbeat under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Glances and Hertzbeat with Docker?
Glances: yes. Hertzbeat: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Glances or Hertzbeat?
Glances has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Hertzbeat. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.